Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Materials Engineering

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

12 Ranked Colleges
450 Degrees Awarded
$8,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 3,485 people earned their degree in materials engineering, making the major the 150th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, materials engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $63,129 and had an average of $23,918 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 781 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $67,850 and $23,267 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 450 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in materials engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great materials engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the materials engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Materials Engineering Schools

The materials engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 14 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $1,866 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Northwestern University Materials Engineering Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 47 degrees to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $3,166 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Materials Engineering at U-M

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 50 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,367 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 87 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#5

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 64 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Purdue has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,483 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus

With a ranking of #6, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Houghton, Michigan, this medium-sized public school awarded 30 degrees to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

Michigan Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Michigan Tech is $8,295 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Michigan Technological University

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Ohio State has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,194 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Ohio State

#8

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 30 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $6,686 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Michigan State

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. UWM is a large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 16 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UWM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $13,222 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UWM

#9 in overall quality

Case Western Reserve University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Case Western, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Case Western is $18,708 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Case Western Reserve University Materials Engineering Report

#12 in overall quality

Wright State University - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dayton, Ohio, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Wright State University - Main Campus also took the #12 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,460 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wright State University - Main Campus.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Wright State University - Main Campus

#11 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 5 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also took the #11 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Tech is $17,222 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Illinois Tech

Switch to a Similar Major

General Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Agricultural Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Agricultural Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Biomedical Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Biomedical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Civil Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Electrical Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Engineering Physics
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Engineering Physics (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Environmental Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Environmental Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Mining Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Mining Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Nuclear Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Nuclear Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Systems Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Systems Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Construction Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Construction Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Manufacturing Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Manufacturing Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Geoscience Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Geoscience Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Robotics Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Robotics Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Biological Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Biological Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Other Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Other Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Architectural Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Architectural Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Chemical Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Computer Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Computer Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Engineering Mechanics
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Engineering Mechanics (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Engineering Science
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Engineering Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Mechanical Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Marine Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Marine Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Petroleum Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Petroleum Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Polymer & Plastics Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Polymer & Plastics Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Industrial Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Industrial Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Surveying Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Surveying Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Paper Science & Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Paper Science & Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Engineering Chemistry
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Engineering Chemistry (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Electrical and Computer Engineering. (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Panoramedia.

Featured Engineering Schools

Find Schools Near You